Season of the Witch

Plot

14th-century knights transport a suspected witch to a monastery, where monks deduce her powers could be the source of the Black Plague.

Release Year: 2011

Rating: 5.3/10 (37,836 voted)

Critic's Score: 28/100

Director:
Dominic Sena

Stars: Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman, Claire Foy

Storyline
A 14th century Crusader returns to a homeland devastated by the Black Plague. A beleaguered church, deeming sorcery the culprit of the plague, commands the two knights to transport an accused witch to a remote abbey, where monks will perform a ritual in hopes of ending the pestilence. A priest, a grieving knight, a disgraced itinerant and a headstrong youth who can only dream of becoming a knight join a mission troubled by mythically hostile wilderness and fierce contention over the fate of the girl. When the embattled party arrives at the abbey, a horrific discovery jeopardises the knight's pledge to ensure the girl fair treatment, and pits them against an inexplicably powerful and destructive force.

Cast:

Nicolas Cage
–

Behmen

Ron Perlman
–

Felson

Stephen Campbell Moore
–

Debelzaq

Stephen Graham
–

Hagamar

Ulrich Thomsen
–

Eckhart

Claire Foy
–

The Girl

Robert Sheehan
–

Kay

Christopher Lee
–

Cardinal D'Ambroise

Rebekah Kennedy
–

Peasant Turk Girl

Andrew Hefler
–

Jail Bailiff

Fernanda Dorogi
–

Old Woman (Givaudon)

Kevin Rees
–

Dying Monk

Matt Devere
–

Sergeant in Arms

Róbert Bánlaki
–

Livery Boy

Barna Illyés
–

Cardinal's Priest

Taglines:
Not all souls can be saved.

Details

Official Website:
Official site [France] |
Official site [Japan] |

Release Date: 7 January 2011

Filming Locations: Burg Kreuzenstein, Leobendorf, Lower Austria, Austria

Box Office Details

Budget: $40,000,000

(estimated)

Opening Weekend: $10,612,375
(USA)
(9 January 2011)
(2816 Screens)

Gross: $24,823,283
(USA)
(20 March 2011)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Goofs:

Errors in geography:
When Felson fights the altar boy Kay he states "stand and fight like a man you little jackrabbit". The jackrabbit is indigenous to regions of North America not Europe so a crusader in medieval times would be unaware of them.

Quotes:

[first lines]

Peasant Girl:
No! No… please! I beg you. I beg you. I'm not a witch.

User Review

Not as bad as the critics say it is…Cage seems to care

Rating: 7/10


Season of the witch was a far better film than critics and fellow
moviegoers led me to believe. The story is about Cage and Pearlman
teaming up to take a witch to a castle where she will be put on trial.
Chaos and terror ensue as they treck the mountainside and forest. The
film depicts the times very well…and most the accents aren't that
bad. But the thing i wasn't expecting was to see Cage actually put some
effort into his role. Instead of woodenly walking through the film with
terrible hair, Cage shows some true emotion and his hair ain't half
bad. Cage is hit or miss, sometimes he's good ("Bad Lieutenant"),
sometimes he's bad ("The Knowing"). I think Cage gets an A for effort.
It's no his best acting but it's an improvement. Pearlman is great as
the sidekick/friend and gets most of the good lines. The special
effects are kinda lame and the film drags in certain spots, but overall
"Season of the witch" is a decent thriller with some cheesy dialouge.
This movie isn't bad as everyone makes it out to be. If you have low
expectations like I did, you'll probably get a lot more enjoyment out
of it.

Oh, and the priest named De Balzak…pretty hysterical name.